The International Energy Agency estimates that the world needs $44 trillion in new clean energy investment by 2050 to have an 80% chance of limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius. While 2015 was a record year for clean energy investment (more than $350 billion worldwide), substantial challenges remain to reaching the required sums of clean energy investment that will be required.

The webinar presenter discussed DOE’s activities in addressing this investment challenge through their Clean Energy Investment Center, formed in January 2016. The center was launched to assist and support investors by providing a one-stop-shop to access subject-matter experts, acquire the latest research studies and reports and identify promising energy products. The center’s mission is to advance private, mission-oriented investment in clean energy technologies that address the present gap in U.S. clean tech investment and spur the public-private partnerships needed to realize the goal of Mission Innovation. The presentation was followed by an interactive question and answer session with the audience.

Presenter

Sanjiv Malhotra, Director, Clean Energy Investment Center

Sanjiv Malhotra, PhD, is the Director of the Clean Energy Investment Center (CEIC) at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). As Director, Dr. Malhotra oversees the center that serves as a single point of contact for investors to access technical experts, acquire the latest reports on clean energy technology and identify promising projects. He is also instrumental in supporting Mission Innovation, an initiative to dramatically accelerate public and private global clean energy innovation to address global climate change, provide affordable clean energy to consumers, including in the developing world, and create additional commercial opportunities in clean energy. Dr. Malhotra joined CEIC after most recently serving as a consultant with the Department’s Fuel Cells Technologies Office. Previously, from 2005 to2014, he served as the founder, President, and CEO of Oorja Protonics, a global leader in the design, development and manufacturing of methanol fuel cells. Over the course of his diverse career, he has been an advisor at Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, served as part of the executive management team at DCH Technology and H Power Corp and worked as a researcher at DOE’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Dr. Malhotra holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, and he holds a master’s degree in business administration and a doctoral degree in chemical and biochemical engineering from the University of Iowa.